Daily Independent (Lagos)
Tony Ezimakor
3 July 2009
Abuja — Minister of Sports and Chairman, National Sports Commission, Sani Ndanusa, has restated the country's desire to invest heavily in international sports politics to enhance the nation's political and technical standing in the global sports arena.
To this end, he said Abuja, currently reputed as Africa's Olympic capital thanks to the relocation of ANOCA Secretariat, would be ready to host any other international sports body or federation that may wish to move to the Nigeria capital city.
Ndanusa, who was addressing the media in Abuja on arrangements for the forthcoming 13th Quadrennial General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, stated that the country would continue, as a deliberate policy, to encourage her citizens who may wish to aspire to any international sports body.
He said the huge influx of notable sports world personalities for the ANOCA congress is a testimony of the image such venture will attract to the country.
President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, would be leading top sports and political personalities to grace the ANOCA event.
Aside the 53 ANOCA member nations, Wilfred Lemke, the representative of UN Secretary General, Ban Kii Moon, Bience Gawanas of the African Union, CAF President, Issa Hayatou, Brazilian soccer legend, Pele, as well as delegates from the four cities Bidding for the 2016 Olympics will be at the event.
Ndanusa noted that all arrangements to give the IOC 'supremo' a befitting welcome have been concluded.
In his remarks, Lassana Palenfo, ANOCA President, said the association is overwhelmed by the kind of support it is getting from Nigeria, and thanked the government and people of Nigeria for giving the Olympic body a befitting secretariat.
In a related development, Nigeria is to host the African Taekwondo Union on the 15th of this month.
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